


Unbelievable

by reindeerjumper



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Banter, F/M, Slow Burn, Tumblr Prompt, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 22:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerjumper/pseuds/reindeerjumper
Summary: Robin gets Cormoran all dressed up for an undercover mission. Cormoran isn't too happy about it.





	Unbelievable

**Author's Note:**

> For a tumblr prompt - "I can't believe you talked me into this."

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

Cormoran stood in front of Robin, decked out in a tuxedo that he had rented from Moss Bros. He already felt uncomfortable, the starched collar of the shirt rubbing against his neck and the waistcoat sucking his gut in. Robin was standing in front of him, attempting to tie the bowtie that hung limply around his neck with the help of a YouTube video. The pink tip of her tongue was poking out from between her lips as her brow furrowed in concentration.

It took all of Cormoran’s self control to not take her in his arms right then and there.

She was dressed in a floor-length gown the color of the night sky. The bodice was completely covered in gems that sparkled every time she moved, and the top of her head  _almost_  reached his chin, thanks to the sky high heels she was wearing. Cormoran openly stared at her face as she busied herself with the tie, allowing himself the pleasure of looking at her without worrying she’d notice. Robin was wearing more makeup than she normally did, but it still wasn’t too much–a swipe of rouge on her cheeks, some sparkly nude eyeshadow on her lids, the lashes of her eyes spiked out with several layers of mascara. Cormoran found himself staring at her mouth, the bright red lipstick she was wearing practically begging to be kissed away.

_Stop. Stop all of this nonsense. She’s engaged._

The red gold of her hair caught the light of the dying sun that shown through the window. It was in loose curls, pulled to one side of her head and over her shoulder, cascading down the front of her like a Renaissance painting. He reached a hand up to gently brush a strand that was caught on her eyelash, and Robin’s eyes flickered from the tie around his neck up to his eyes.

He immediately felt himself blush, which made him feel even stupider than he already felt. He cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, it was in your eye.”

Robin smiled at him, giving the bowtie a tug. “No worries,” she replied, busying herself once more with getting the two loops of the bow to lay flat. She finally let out a triumphant, “Ah-ha!” as she patted his chest. She took a step back, her face lit like a megawatt bulb. “Not too shabby, if I say so myself,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “No one would ever suspect that you’re a grumpy undercover detective.” 

Cormoran scowled at her. “I’m not grumpy.”

Robin was now walking towards the desk where her shawl and clutch sat. Cormoran admired the curve of her arse before realizing how creepy he was being. He snapped his gaze up and away from Robin, shoving his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants. 

“You’re not very convincing,” Robin replied, pulling a compact out of the clutch in her hand. Cormoran watched as she inspected her face in the mirror, swiping a finger underneath her bottom lip to catch some rogue lipstick that had smeared. Cormoran licked his lips and swallowed loudly, trying incredibly hard to play it cool. 

“You never answered my question,” he said.

“What question?”

“How you talked me into this.”

“It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. ‘I can’t believe you talked me into this’ is  _not_  a question.” Cormoran rolled his eyes. “And to answer your ‘question’”–here, she used air quotes–”you only agreed to it because you know I’m right. There’s no other way to really know what’s going on with Spencer unless we catch him out in public.”

“Fine. I’ll concede,” he replied. Cormoran grabbed his overcoat off of the coatrack by the door of the office and slid it on. Robin had now pulled her shawl around her shoulders and was untangling her hair from beneath it. Cormoran took a step towards her and reached out a hand. “Here, let me help you.” He grabbed the hair that was still trapped underneath the shawl and gently pulled it out. It was soft in his calloused hand, and he could smell the perfume that Robin had spritzed into it. Unceremoniously, he let it drop from his hand and onto the front of Robin’s shawl. She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, giving his hand a squeeze. “We better get going if we’re going to run any surveillance tonight.”

Cormoran cleared his throat and said, “Ah, yes. My favorite part of the job. Dressing up like a fucking penguin to mingle with rich snobs and make small talk.” Robin smacked him with the back of her hand as she laughed. “You’ve got the invite, right?” Robin nodded and held up the invitation to the gala that she had created on the computer. If Cormoran hadn’t known any better, he’d think it was an actual invitation. She never ceased to amaze him with her resourcefulness, and he silently thanked whatever deity had dropped her onto his doorstep. “Right then. Let’s get going.” 

Robin stepped in front of him, and Cormoran held the door open for her. Reflexively, he brought his hand to the small of her back to guide her through the door, and she looked back at him over her shoulder. He felt the heat rise up under his collar at her gaze, and he quickly dropped his hand back down. Something flashed in her eyes, and he would’ve swore it was disappointment if he was a vainer man. 

“You owe me a pint for this,” he muttered as he locked the door behind him.

Robin laughed again, sending a shock straight to Cormoran’s heart. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll buy you  _two_  pints, just because you look so handsome in that tuxedo.” Cormoran wasn’t sure he’d ever blushed so much in his life as he had in the last twenty minutes. 

“Suck up,” he said, brushing past her to descend the stairs.

“You love it,” Robin replied, the clack of her heels echoing on the walls of the stairwell.

 Cormoran didn’t respond. She didn’t need to know how right she was.


End file.
